Following Metro Vancouver’s recent pledge to initiate an independent audit of ballooning costs around the development of the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, local officials hired a former judge on September 14 to lead the auditing process.
John J.L. Hunter, founder of Hunter Litigation Chambers, will be brought on as Metro Vancouver officials determine the scope of work and terms of reference at the Metro Vancouver Board for discussion and approvals.
Hunter returned to the firm as associate counsel after his retirement as a Justice of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. He has some 40 years of experience in law.
“I look forward to the Board receiving Mr. Hunter’s recommendations and working with the Metro Vancouver Board to ensure the public has confidence that Metro Vancouver is taking the right steps when it comes to expanding critical infrastructure to meet the needs of our rapidly growing population,” announced Mike Hurley, Chair of the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors, in a statement.
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The replacement wastewater treatment plant was originally set to be completed by 2020 for $700 million. However, it is now expected to be ready in 2030 at a cost of $3.86 billion. Costs have soared in part due to a switch in contractors, increased construction costs, and inflation.
On September 10, Hurley released a new and more detailed statement regarding the project’s cost overruns, which he pinned more precisely on the termination of the contract with Spanish-based Acciona Wastewater Solutions LP. The board pulled the plug on Acciona after it appeared the project was not going to be completed on time and within budget.
“Some information related to the new plant has been shared in closed meetings due to ongoing litigation that could result in the recovery of hundreds of millions of public dollars in damages from the previous contractor,” Hurley stated.
The new North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant will serve over 300,000 residents and businesses in the Districts of North and West Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation). It will replace the existing Lions Gate Wastewater Treatment Plant, one of the last plants on the west coast of Canada and the U.S. that provides only primary-level wastewater treatment.
